Locomotive draft



D. F. CRAWFORD AND A. K. KUSEBAUCH.

LOCOMOTIVE DRAFT APPLIANCE.

APPLICATION FILED MAR. I0. 19I9.

1,356,809. Patented Oct. 26,1920.

2 SHEETS-SHEET I.

"/47: nw /vrms n. F. CRAWFORD AND A. K. KUSVEBAUCH.

LOCOMOTIVE DRAFT APPLIANCE.

APPLICATION mg!) MAR. 10, 1919.

Patented Oct. 26, 1920.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

W/T/V-ESS: I

UNITED ,STATES PATENT OFFICE.

DAVID r. CRAWFORD AND AN'ro v x. KUSEBAUCI-I, or PITTSBURGH, PENNSYLVANIA,

ASSIGNORS T LOCOMOTIVE STOKER 00., or PITTSBURGH, PENNSYLVANIA, A con- PORATION OF PENNSYLVANIA.

LOCOMOTIVE DRAFT APPLIANCE.

Specification of Letters fatent. Patented Oct 26 1920 Application filed March 10, 1919. Serial No. 281,798.

" To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, DAVID F. CRAWFORD and ANTON K. KUsnBAUcH, citizens of the United States, residing at Pittsburgh, ini

the county of Allegheny and State of Pennsylvania, have "invented certain new and useful Improvements in Locomotive Draft I Appliances, of which the following is 'a specification.

This invention relates to locomotive draft appliances and particularly to that type embodying a blower fan and a turbine or other motor means for operating the fan.

One of the chief objectsof our invention resides in the provision of a novel arrangement of draft appliance, with the motor means located exteriorly of the smoke" box and the conduit for supplying exhaust steam for operating the motor extending through the smoke box. I

' Among the other objeetsof the invention tecting the shaft bearings from the heat in the smoke box; the utilization of a by-passconduit for by-passing steam around the motor, as a means for supporting the shaft bearings and also as a means for subjecting tion, "partially. broken away, through the pliance.

the bearings to a cooling bath of exhaust steam; and. general the provision of a simple and economical arrangement of the various elements constituting the draft ap We accomplishthe foregoing, together with such other objects as may hereinafter appear, by means of a structurev which we have illustratedin preferred form in the accompanying drawings, wherein- Figure 1 i a longitudinalsection through a locomotive smoke'box showing the application of our improved draft appliance theretogFig. 2 is a partial end elevation of a locomotive equipped with our improved draft appliance; Fig. 3 is a'longitudinal secshaft bearings'and the means for conduct- IV-lV 3f Fig. 3; and Fig. 5 is a section taken on the line VV of Fig. 4.

Referring now particularly to Figs. 1 and driving shaft 9 coupled to the turbine shaft 9 and extending into the smoke box, said shaft being supported in a manner to be hereinafter described. The blower fan operates in the usual manner drawing the products of'combustion from the fire box through the flues and discharging the steam into the smoke box, the cinders being caught by a series of baffles B. The steam turbine 8 also operates in the usual manner and the detailsof the internal mechanism thereof form no part of the present invention;

The housing of the turbine is provided with a base portion 10 adapted to bebolted or otherwise secured to a pair of brackets 11 which are in turn secured to a portion of the adjacent structure, preferably the smoke box, to accomplish which we extend the brackets rearwardly'into the interior of the smoke box as indicated in Fig. 1. Exhaust steam is supplied to the interior of the turbine by a pipe or conduit 12in the manner hereinafter described, and the steam, after passing through the turbine, is discharged into the smoke box through the outlet 13.

The location of the steam turbine on the exterior of the smoke box, in addition to rendering the turbine more accessible for inspection-and repair and the draft appliance more easy to assemble, is to be preferred to an inside location where the mechanism would be subjected to the high temperature found within the smoke box, but this arrangement involves extending the length of the shaft 9 and to adequately support this shaft we prefer to provide it with two spaced bearings 13 and 14, respectively located near the ends of the shaft. The bearingsare respectively housed in the limbs or branches 15 and 16 of a conduit 17 into which exhaust steam from the cylinders is admitted. Adjacent to its lower end con-' duit 17 is provided with a lateral branch 18 to which the pipe 12 is coupled and inter- A mediate the limbs 15 and 16 and the branch 18, the conduit 17 is provided with a valve mechanism, such as a butterfly valve 19, by

means of which the volume of steam passing through the lateral branch 18 and conduit 12 to the steam turbine may be controlled, thus governing the speed of rotation of the fan and thereby regulating the tate assemblage the conduit 17 is preferably made in two halves, flanged as at 20, so that they may be bolted together.

The detail arrangement of the hearings in the by-pass conduit is shown in Figs. 4 and 5, from inspection of which it will be seen that the bearings have flanges 22 adapted to be secured to pedestals 23 formed in the in, terior of the lower half of the conduit. We prefer to. drive the shaft 9 from the shaft 9 of the turbine through the medium of a clutch mechanism 21 for the reason that assemblage of the draft appliance parts is facilitated and for the further reason that the arrangement divides the apparatus into a blower fan unit and a steam turbine unit, one advantage of which is that binding of the shafts is prevented.

It will be seen from the foregoing that we have provided an effective means for supporting the blower fan shaft and for protecting the bearings thereof, so that the life of the apparatus will be greatly extended.

Binding between the parts is also eliminated, and the location of the conduit 12within the smoke box tends toward efficiency in operaof relative shifting. between the blower fan.

tion of the turbine because the exhaust steam does not lose. its heat so rapidly as. it otherwise would if the conduit were arranged entirely externally of the smoke box. The supportin of the turbine from the lower por' tion of the smoke box, at a point adjacent the point of support'of the conduit 17. is also advantageous as this reduces the liability unit and turbine.

- Inorder to insure the flow of some steam to the fan shaft bearings under all running conditions, the valve 19 is given a cooling loose fit. or otherwise constructed so as to permit such fioweven whenthe valve is closed.

Vile. claim 1. A locomotive draft;appliance comprising. in combination means for, producing a:

draft, an. engine for drivin the same 7 operated, by exhaust; steam from ,7 the, cylinders,

means for conveying exhaust steam thereto, a driving shaft, bearing means for said shaft, and independent means for subjecting said bearing means to a bath of exhaust steam.

' 2. A locomotive draft appliance comprising in combination rotary means for creating a draft, a motor, a driving shaft for operating said rotary means, spaced bearing means for said shaft, and independent means for subjecting each of said bearing means to a bath of exhaust steam.

3. A locomotive draft appliance comprising in combination a blower, a motor, a driving shaft, spaced bearing means for said shaft and independent means for subjecting each of the said bearing means. to a bath of exhaust steam.

4. A locomotive draft appliance comprising in'combination a blowerin the smoke box, a motor, a shaft having spaced bearing means located in the smoke box, and independentmeans for subjecting each of said bearing means to a path of exhaust steam.

5. A locomotive draft appliance compris ing in combination a blowerinthe. smoke box, a motor arranged exteriorly of the box, a shaft for driving the blower having bearing means in the box, and means for subjecting said bearing means to a bath of exhaust steam.

6. A locomotive draft appliancev comprising in combination a blower in the. smoke box, a steam motor for driving the same, a shaft having bearing means .inthe box, means for supplying the motor withexhaust steam and a by-pass for the steam, said bearing means being located, in the path of flow of by-passed steam;

7 A locomotive draft appliance comprising in combination a blower, a motor, a shaft, spaced bearings for. saidshaft, and independent steam conduits in. which. said bearings are mounted. V

8. A locomotive. draftappliance. comprising in combination. a blower, amotor, a shaft, spaced bearings for said shaft,.a-. conduit for deliveringexhaust. steam. to said motor, and a by-passingconduit in. which said-bearings are mounted.

. '9. A locomotive draft: appliance; comprising in combination a, blower within. the smoke box, a motor outside the box,.a1 shaft,

and supporting means: for v said. parts! comprising bearing meansand a. housing: therefor mounted inthe smoke -.box,.said.housing serving asa condu t for exhaust. steam.

10.' Alocomotive draft appliance comprising in combination a. blower: within the smoke -box, ,a motor outsidethe.b.ox,. a.shaft,

and supporting means. for said partscomprisin'gbearing means and a branchedlconduit one member of whichis coupled to. the motor and=the other. of which supportsxthe bearing. meansa 11. A locomotive draft appliance comprisbearing means, and valve means controlling ing in combination a blower within the the flow of steam through the said members smoke box, a motor outside the box, a, shaft, of the conduit. 30 and supporting means for said parts oom- In testimony whereof we have hereunto 5 prising bearing means and a'branched consigned our names.

duit one member of which is coupled to the DAVID F. CRAWFORD. motor and the other of which supports the ANTON K. KUSEBAUCH. 

